Beneficial bacteria can be used to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria and other microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environment. The discovery of pathogenic bacteria and the germ theory of disease have had a tremendous effect on health and disease states. Bacteria are a normal part of the environment of all living things. In the gut, these bacteria are not pathogenic under normal conditions, and in fact improve health by rendering the normal intestinal contents less hospitable for disease causing organisms. Disease prevention is accomplished in a number of ways: nutrients are consumed, leaving less for pathogens; conditions are produced, such as pH and oxygen tension, which are not hospitable for pathogens; compounds are produced that are toxic to pathogens; pathogens are consumed as food by these microorganisms; less physical space remains available for pathogens; and specific binding sites are occupied leaving fewer binding sites available for pathogens. The presence of these desirable bacteria is seen as useful in preventing disease states.
There is a need in the art for improved beneficial bacteria that can suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria.